Our Leadership

The elders of South Austin Presbyterian, consisting of the pastor and the ruling elders, care for the spiritual welfare of its members and are themselves accountable to assemblies made up of pastors and ruling elders at the regional and national level. We believe Christ has also appointed gifted men called deacons to relieve the elders of administrative burdens that would hinder their ministry of the Word and prayer (Acts 6:1–7).

Both elders and deacons must meet Biblical qualifications (1 Timothy 3:1–13; Titus 1:4–9) and are elected by the members of the local congregation they serve.

Pastor

Jim Cassidy

Dr. James "Jim" Cassidy has been the pastor of SAPC since its inception in July 2014 as a daughter congregation of Providence Presbyterian Church in Pflugerville, Texas.

Jim was raised in a Roman Catholic home in Edison, New Jersey. He was later led to the Lord by a friend in his sophomore year of college. His wife, Eve, was raised in Madison, New Jersey and was led to Christ through the ministry of Grace OPC in Westfield, New Jersey. She is a busy and active mother. Jim and Eve have been blessed with three children: Caitlyn, Ian, and Anna.

Jim previously served in OPC pastorates in Pennsylvania (Johnstown) and New Jersey (Ringoes). In his ministry he has been and continues to be committed to proclaiming Christ and Him crucified from all the Scriptures. Jim earned an MDiv at Westminster Theological Seminary as well as the PhD in Historical and Theological Studies, concentrating in Systematic Theology. You can follow him on Twitter at @jjcassidy.

Elder

John Terpstra

John H. Terpstra was installed as the founding ruling elder in February 2015. Up to that time he served as a ruling elder at Providence Presbyterian Church in Pflugerville. Before that he served as a ruling elder at Christ Orthodox Presbyterian Church in Salt Lake City.

Born in Amsterdam, Netherlands, Elder Terpstra moved to Australia when his parents emigrated there in 1957, and he grew up in the Christian Reformed faith. His parents and forefathers were raised within the orthodox Continental Reformed faith, and trace their heritage in the Reformed and Presbyterian faith back to the Reformation.

Elder Terpstra guided Bible studies in the South Austin area that led to the planting and establishment of South Austin Presbyterian Church. He holds to the necessity of subscription to the Westminster Standards as foundational theological principles for a faith and practice that covers all of life.

Elder

Francesco Spadini

Francesco Spadini was installed as SAPC’s second ruling elder in April 2017.

He was born in the UK and spent much of his childhood in Cincinnati, Ohio. The Lord led him to faith in college, where he also met his wife Maryrose. By God’s providence they have been called to membership and service in Reformed churches since 2006, and have been blessed with three children: Elijah, Evangelia, and Sophia.

Francesco works as a computer engineer. Outside of church, family, and work, he takes special interest in church history and pro-life ministry.

Deacon

Joel Blok

Joel Blok was installed as SAPC's first deacon in 2015. Both he and his wife Kate are charter members and welcomed their first child, Ezra, in 2016.

Joel and Kate were previously members of Providence Presbyterian Church in Pflugerville, which they joined after moving to Austin from Grand Rapids, Michigan in 2010. Both were raised in the Reformed faith, growing up in member churches of the Netherlands Reformed Congregation.

Joel works in Austin as a structural engineer. In his free time he enjoys golf, photography, and exploring Austin with Kate, Ezra, and their golden retriever, Piper.

Deacon

Brian Williams

A fifth generation Texan, Brian was born and raised in Dallas. He grew up in the Disciples of Christ denomination and first experienced Reformed convictions through a Bible study while attending his alma mater, Baylor University. Brian and his wife, Laura, were eventually led to Presbyterian and Reformed faith and practice under the ministry of the Independent Presbyterian Church of Savannah, Georgia, where Brian was ordained and served as a deacon. He holds to the Southern Presbyterian view on strict subscription to the Westminster Standards.

The Williamses have two young children, Claire and Charlie, and are expecting their third, a boy, in 2018. Brian works in state government.